Merry Christmas, Mr Dixon
by Sydmherman
Summary: Beth Greene always loved holidays, especially Christmas. Daryl Dixon never cared for Christmas, having no one to ever spend a happy holiday with, until now. Bethyl Christmas one shots. Prompts welcome (I'd love to make your bethyl christmas wish come true!)


"I don't really wanna go either, but we have to," Her blue eyes softened as she fixed the sloppily done bow tie before her. She smiled, trying to bring his attention back to her and away from the anxiety pushing its way through to his mind. Whether it was the thought of entering a crowded home with unfamiliar faces or the freshly pressed dress shirt that fit a little too snug for his own liking, Beth could do nothing but remind him he wasn't alone in this. Her eyes fixed on his lips, watching the way he chewed absently on the inside of his cheek and ever so slightly nodding at her reassurance. Daryl's eyes never left the mirror behind him. He watched the way her fingers moved the stiff fabric beneath his chin; her touch was barely there and the only way he would notice was her close proximity and small reflection behind him.

"I look stupid," He muttered, "Why'd I have to dress up?"

She bit her lip at the way he fell onto their bed, head down and fingers fidgeting with one another in his lap. It was difficult to hold back a smile as she quietly walked towards him, bending down to meet his hair covered eyes.

"I told you, you didn't have to, remember?" She grabbed one of his hands, intertwining their fingers while brushing his index and middle finger with her thumb, "You insisted just an hour ago."

"Yeah, well your boss wouldn't like you bringin' some redneck dressed in grease and grim and comin' into his expensive house with dirt trackin' behind."

That was the Daryl she loved the most. Even though she couldn't get rid of the smile that crawled up her face while watching him curse and huff while buttoning his jacket, she admired his natural look better. The one where he'd come home after work covered in sweat, and dirt that never quite left his skin. A natural stain sat boldly on the thick layers of skin bordering his palms and finger nails. He was definitely clean, taking showers after work every night, but his hard work always shown no matter what. There was nothing that would change her mind about his rugged look and even though people talked when they first started dating, she still dismissed the worried looks and demeaning stares.

Little Ms. Greene had a handful, they'd say. She was in over her head with a Dixon, and indeed, she was. Head over heels, in fact. A mad spell cast upon her the night he stumbled into her life and there was no way of changing that once it happened. His hard exterior contrasted greatly with the soft and barely touched of her own, but that didn't matter in the slightest to her. He was her opposite in the best way possible.

She laughed at the way he enunciated her boss's wealth, as if it mattered.

"I'd be right behind you with my boots, trackin' in mud along too," Beth lifted up her black dress, revealing the worn out cowboy boots she had grown to love too much to toss to the curb. He looked down, frowning for a second before realizing what she was in fact wearing. For the first time that night she saw a smile attempt to make its way across his face while he eyed her shoes. She looked down at his own dirtied work boots and smiled to herself. He didn't have dress shoes, so why would she wear any different?

There was a slight mumble of 'thank you' when he pulled her up from near his knees into his traditional tight squeeze; arms wrapped infinitely around her torso with a touch of his own hair mixed with blonde around Beth's neck. He pulled away slowly and was careful to not mess up her perfectly placed hair, forcing his hands to her cheek instead of her curls out of normal habit. She smiled warmly, pressing a light kiss on his palm before leaving his grasp.

"We're gonna be late," She sighed. Daryl watched as delicate red tipped fingers put small earnings in. He had bought her them last fall when he knew she wanted something more than a 'Happy Anniversary' and a kiss. She didn't say anything about presents, but he knew what girls wanted. At least he thought that's what she would want. Even if she didn't, he still planned to do something normal for her. She deserved normal. It was all he could find in the suffocatingly pink jewelry store downtown. The small pearl bulbs were almost invisible compared to her skin, but she insisted she loved them dearly and still wore them much more than she had to. Her red lips curled into a smile when she twirled her snuggly fit black dress, showing the final masterpiece, "At least we'll be fashionably late, right?"

He nodded, grabbing her waist playfully and pulling her towards him again. She smelled so much like the vanilla desserts his mother used to make back when she didn't have a bottle in her hand and a cigarette in the other. He'd never mention that to her, but she always reminded him of what home truly was, even if it was only a faint smell of her freshly washed hair or the way she spoke to him softly and so full of passion. She was his home and every little thing about her made sense to him.

"Think anyone will say anythin'?" Daryl circled his thumb on her hip now, feeling the pressure of her hand running through his freshly washed hair. Blue eyes squinted with wonder back towards him along with a questioning eyebrow.

"'bout what?"

"Me. Y'know…" He tried to think of a logical way to explain his question, but it was truly ridiculous the more he thought. No one would care who he was; Beth made that clear a multitude of times. She loved him, no matter his last name, no matter who 'raised' him, no matter what anyone thought. Yet worry still lingered in the back of his mind. His whole life he had the sad privilege of deal with judgement over his last name and he couldn't shake the shame he felt sometimes when he knew he would always be known as a descendant from trash.

"Daryl," She sighed, but not a huff of irritation. No, it was the breath coming from her saddened lungs and clenched heart. Somedays she truly felt Daryl didn't think he was worthy of anything more than what he grew up with. Beth let her hand fall from the crook of his neck onto shoulder, squeezing lightly, "You're so much more than you think."

"Maybe you just gotta keep remindin' me sometimes," He looked up, attempting to smile at her. That's when she gave him her Greene smile. The one that stood out from the others; her dimples appeared and he knew she was genuinely happy. There was no need to worry as long as Beth was with him.

"Let's get going. He'll wonder why we took so long to get to the party."

"Yeah? Must be more important than I thought ya were at work," He smirked at the way she playfully hit his shoulder.

"You'd think my third promotion this year would prove that to you, Mr. Dixon," He watched to way she slipped her light coat on and make her way towards the door. She stopped before him though, pulling him in by his jacket, kissing the lips she could never seem to leave, "Maybe after he meets you I'll get a forth."

She smiled at his scoff and head shake. Giggles escaped her mouth when he carefully pushed her out of the house and into the first snowfall of the year.

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><p>"I've never been in a rich guy's house for more than three hours," To that, Beth agreed with a long lasting sip of wine. Daryl watched the way her eyes scanned the room, bored out of her mind, just like his own.<p>

"I've never met so many snobby people."

"I'll drink to that," Daryl shifted uncomfortably as another one of Beth's coworkers made their way across the room. He eyed Beth without a look Daryl's way, making for an uncomfortable greeting and anxiety rise in him once again.

"Beth Greene! I thought you wouldn't make it," Beth quickly hugged her acquaintance with her wine still firmly clasped in her hand. She smiled standing up to meet the man eye to eye. Daryl watched, still seated behind her, unamused by the man's enthusiasm. Business people really weren't his cup of tea.

"Oh Jeremy, I've been here for a while," Her thin smiled wasn't out of irritation, though she was glad to leave work at work, and co workers there too, "Actually, I've been sitting here with my boyfriend, Daryl," She looked down, nodding her head towards the stocky build of a man.

"Boyfriend, huh? Nice to meet you," He stuck his hand out, but Daryl kept his in the pockets of his dress pants, uninterested and not too friendly. He watched Jeremy slowly pull away, awkwardly chuckling, "No need for hands shakes tonight anyways. I'm sure you two have been doing it all night."

"Yeah, we actually were just about to leave," Beth exclaimed a little too excitedly. Daryl bit his lip while looking down at the ground, attempting to hold back a smile at the way Beth was acting. She truly wanted to be polite, but her readiness to leave was showing through. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, obviously embarrassed, "It's nice seeing you before we hit the road."

"Of course, it's always great seeing you," Jeremy pulled Beth in for another quick hug and sighed, "You've got a great catch. Daryl, right?"

"Mhm," Daryl looked up again at the man before he turned on his heel, leaving the couple in his wake.

"You could've been a little nicer."

"Don't like that guy," Beth rolled her eyes, taking his hand into her own and pulling him towards the dining room for their final goodbyes. He mumbled a few things under his breath and Beth ignored him.

"Leaving already? You two just got here!" Karen pulled Beth in for a tipsy hug. She had a little too much red wine for anyone's liking, and surprisingly she was still on her feet. She covered her mouth at the small burp that escaped her mouth, giggling with Beth.

"It's eleven, Karen," Beth laughed, watching her boss, Shane Walsh, run an embarrassed hand through his hair next to his wife, "We've got to let our dog out still. Unless you want to come and clean up his mess?"

"Oh, n_o_! We d_ef_initely wouldn't want that on your nice new rugs you bought!" Beth watched Shane's hand twist around his wife, holding her in place while she laughed at herself again.

"There, there. I think someone's had a little too much," Shane's eyes flickered towards Beth and onto Daryl, "It was nice meetin' you, Mr. Dixon."

Daryl couldn't tell if he heard Walsh's tone correctly when he said his last name, but he knew there was an underlying slur, a kind of mocking-like tone. He thought Beth's boss was a real prick by the way he showed off his awards and nominations for being boss of the year-a load of bullshit if you ask Daryl-but Beth needed her job and he wasn't about ready to knock out a man onto his newly polished floor.

"Yeah, you too," He accepted Shane's tight grip and quickly pulled away, letting Beth say her last goodbyes and 'happy holidays' before heading outside.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" She seemed to be reassuring herself more than Daryl, but he nodded, keeping silent until they made their way to his motorcycle.

"Here," He watched Beth's hands fall to her side as he adjusted the strap of her helmet, pushing away the curls that now lay loosely around her face. She smiled at his tender hand, though rough and splayed with cauleses, they felt so soothing brushing up against her skin.

"Thanks," She felt the weight of the light plastic on her head and hit it lightly with her hand, "I wish you'd wear one too."

"Pft, yeah right." He smirked, climbing onto the bike. He felt Beth's weight on his back now, her arms wrapping around his torso tightly. Her grip was always this way, even if the bike hadn't started yet. She felt most safe holding onto him for dear life, and he was okay with the feeling.

Beth watched the illuminated home she was just in vanish before her eyes while the wind grabbed the ends of her hair. Snow fell a little more now, making her body shiver against Daryl's. He would soon put the bike away for the winter, riding his rusted out truck to and from places instead. She closed her eyes to the sharp wind that hit her face, even though she was tucked into the middle of Daryl's back, opening them again when the wind subsided at the shift of the motorcycle's speed. She watched the way snowflakes danced until meeting their final destination on the streets and houses passing. A clean sheet of white would soon cover everything. A blank slate for the world around them. It excited Beth to no extent that this was her's and Daryl's first snow fall together this year.

Beth smiled into the warm leather jacket beneath her face, thinking of this winter with the man she loved spending time with the most. This year would be better than the rest, she would show Daryl that Christmas really was something to celebrate.

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><p><strong>AN: Hello everyone, I thought about making a story filled with a bunch of Christmas one shots for the spirit of winter! If you have any ideas you'd like me to do, just let me know. Drop a review and tell me what you think so far!**

**Song Inspiration: Ribs Lorde, Married Emily Kinney**


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